[the1andonly]

Cross posting this

I've included pictures of my old HD800 Earpads which fit back into the HD800 perfectly, and a picture of the new HD800 Earpads, the new HD800 Earpads plastic white-ish coloured membrane is too tight to fit on to the HD800's, as explained in my earlier post.

Sennheiser are aware of this problem, and are working to resolve it.

My fix is for anyone who happens to get these new pads in the meantime with the over-tight plastic membrane, that won't allow the new HD800 earpads to fit on to their HD800's.

Best wishes,
Paul.


New HD800 Earpads



My old HD800 Earpads

Ok so it has been 6 years since this post, if there is another revision of the earpads (it seems from what I can find there very well may be, looking at this video from 2018 )

I am trying to figure out if these parts I want to buy are genuine OEM or knockoffs, if anyone familiar with the version of pads they are selling and headband pads can chime in and tell me these are OEM or not OEM

 

[gimmeheadroom]

@Sennheiser

 

[helljudgement]

How good are these on tubes?

Tubes are great with the 800. Had much more success with tubes over solid state at all price point I've tried.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Tubes are great with the 800. Had much more success with tubes over solid state at all price point I've tried.

All the 300 ohm Sennheisers cry out for a good OTL amp.

 

[the1andonly]

guys... My HD800 cables won't go in, everything looks like it should fit but I feel like I would need to push waaay to hard to get them it, they just not going in,,,,

 

[the1andonly]

guys, are these supposed to be like... in permanently? I got them in, and it quite hard which is concerning because I think I might need pliers to get them out and even then....

EDIT- Amazing. On. Tubes.... Goodbye grain! even my smooth 9018 and warm oppo HA-1 was jarring... Thank you WA7

Yup, this is def 1000% hifi.... fuuu it doesn't even feel insanely more detailed... just SO FREAKING CLEAR, THE CLARITY IS AMAZING

 

[Ichos]

guys, are these supposed to be like... in permanently? I got them in, and it quite hard which is concerning because I think I might need pliers to get them out and even then....

Have you correctly aligned the little ledge into the corresponding gap?
Mind you that sometimes are very difficult to pull out.

 

[AudioMoksha]

Yes, the cables can be tough to pull out, just be careful so you don't pull out the housing.

 

[the1andonly]

Have you correctly aligned the little ledge into the corresponding gap?
Mind you that sometimes are very difficult to pull out.

well to be fair they were kind of misaligned on the left and right clockwise and the connectors on the HD800 were both kind of misaligned counter clockwise... as first I thought there was supposed to be a slight twist and the chinese company that made these (they are cheap for HD800 wires) simply messed up the twist of L/R but I went into the cable and managed to twist them a bit,,,, still very tight fit both in and just to get the pins in... but they are stuck in there will probably like 50lbs of force needed to take them out... lol I had to full force push them in, I used to do near national record breaking deadlifts, been a while since I lifted but with that shiny plastic part being so flimsy and it being made of plastic it was still nerve wracking....

Anyway they are in and I have a SE adapter I said F it and just tested (was going to wait for focal cable bcus it's warrantied) and I was surprised how grainy they sounded on the HA-1 which is pretty smooth and warm, but the tubes are fantastic..... I am actually pretty dang surprised, I just did an amazing mod (ZMF fenetrated sheepskins) on DT 1990 and it's normal sound of lots of the FR being veiled and murky and the mids being non-understandable cleared right up . shame I tried this a couple days later.... it is so freaking past clear, as someone who for whatever reason normally has a hard time understanding speech in movies this is just amazing...... NGL the soundstage just seems kind of bigger, but much more separation and yeah, the clearest imaging also... than even the DT1990's with stock pads...

this is so crazy, my mind is literally being blown right now... guys, I think I am one of you, the only thing nagging at me (and it won't stop) is that I can clearly hear the compression, I thought the DT1990's or even Elegia's would be close but it's so obvious and annoying me now that the music isn't lossless..... I want to go and load up apex (haven't played MP games in probably 2 years now).... I feel like I am a caveman that just got a measuring stick now, and nobody can tell me what is what, I can hear anything, I can say which headphones have good technical performance, how each amp and dac effects stuff.. I AM INVINCIBLE(ok joking)

Feelsgoodman

 

[bearFNF]

Well this is a first, I have seen the nock offs be too loose, as in so loose that one cable I was testing for someone just fell out from the weight of the cable. Come to find out that the nock off connector parts were missing a feature that is supposed to be there. That cable maker found better supplier for the connectors after that.

That being said the stock cables are sometimes a little tight at first, but you should not have to "gorilla" them in and out. More finesse them in and out. but having them lined up properly certainly helps... LOL

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I hate the HD 800 connectors. If you never swap cables they're ok

 

[gimmeheadroom]

well to be fair they were kind of misaligned on the left and right clockwise and the connectors on the HD800 were both kind of misaligned counter clockwise... as first I thought there was supposed to be a slight twist and the chinese company that made these (they are cheap for HD800 wires) simply messed up the twist of L/R but I went into the cable and managed to twist them a bit,,,, still very tight fit both in and just to get the pins in... but they are stuck in there will probably like 50lbs of force needed to take them out... lol I had to full force push them in, I used to do near national record breaking deadlifts, been a while since I lifted but with that shiny plastic part being so flimsy and it being made of plastic it was still nerve wracking....

Anyway they are in and I have a SE adapter I said F it and just tested (was going to wait for focal cable bcus it's warrantied) and I was surprised how grainy they sounded on the HA-1 which is pretty smooth and warm, but the tubes are fantastic..... I am actually pretty dang surprised, I just did an amazing mod (ZMF fenetrated sheepskins) on DT 1990 and it's normal sound of lots of the FR being veiled and murky and the mids being non-understandable cleared right up . shame I tried this a couple days later.... it is so freaking past clear, as someone who for whatever reason normally has a hard time understanding speech in movies this is just amazing...... NGL the soundstage just seems kind of bigger, but much more separation and yeah, the clearest imaging also... than even the DT1990's with stock pads...

this is so crazy, my mind is literally being blown right now... guys, I think I am one of you, the only thing nagging at me (and it won't stop) is that I can clearly hear the compression, I thought the DT1990's or even Elegia's would be close but it's so obvious and annoying me now that the music isn't lossless..... I want to go and load up apex (haven't played MP games in probably 2 years now).... I feel like I am a caveman that just got a measuring stick now, and nobody can tell me what is what, I can hear anything, I can say which headphones have good technical performance, how each amp and dac effects stuff.. I AM INVINCIBLE(ok joking)

Feelsgoodman

This is kinda what Tyll said, but with less words. Basically, the HD 800s make you hate most of the recordings you used to love

 

[the1andonly]

This is kinda what Tyll said, but with less words. Basically, the HD 800s make you hate most of the recordings you used to love

damn... so good it's bad. lol this is why I love tubes tho, everything smooth... like most people haven't tried the Oppo HA-1 or it's very unique implimentation of the 9018 SABRE which is usually very analytic, but It legit sounds grainy! Here is a preview vs the current sort of "high end" chip for $1-2k "best in class" (for neutral lovers) DACs

I hate the HD 800 connectors. If you never swap cables they're ok

same bruh, gave up all hope of getting some high end later, legit not even a cable guy and $40ish minimum price (it is pretty nice besides the tolerances tho) already pushing it, I could be billionaire rich and I doubt I would put a $200 let alone $100 or even close into this beater set before just buying a brand new HD800s or probably scrap it and just get super TOTL anyway

Well this is a first, I have seen the nock offs be too loose, as in so loose that one cable I was testing for someone just fell out from the weight of the cable. Come to find out that the nock off connector parts were missing a feature that is supposed to be there. That cable maker found better supplier for the connectors after that.

That being said the stock cables are sometimes a little tight at first, but you should not have to "gorilla" them in and out. More finesse them in and out. but having them lined up properly certainly helps... LOL

I saw something like that on my search,,,, but it was def not just from the pins, the metal tolerances also were pretty crazy, I gave it about as much grip as a 225+ 1 handed deadlift... maybe more... had to pad it and everything when I unscrewed it the flat metal ring was digging into my hands I am probably being conservative saying if you attached a 50 pound weight in some fantasy controlled setting where it wouldn't transfer force and just break, that it wouldn't just come out... it's def not 100lbs of force, not quite that much but probably realistically between65-75lbs of force needed to get the thing out just pulling... If I ever get it out it's going to take some finesse, some deconstructing, and probably some nonconductive lubricant....lol

 

[the1andonly]

The bass on this is fine... it has some decent sub-bass rumble, maybe even more than my modded DT1990, which isn't far from stock, maybe more than elegia, close enough to Ananda (except for the planar advantage)... I mean it's not Audeze level but it really isn't bad for a dynamic at all and it's super textured.... I cannot believe I didn't buy this earlier, I was convinced I was a basshead, apparently I am not, refusing to buy radiance and get rid of Elegia and now liking HD800 non s bass....

(that spike tho, any mods besides SDR to kill this dang peak???)

 

[DenverW]

The bass on this is fine... it has some decent sub-bass rumble, maybe even more than my modded DT1990, which isn't far from stock, maybe more than elegia, close enough to Ananda (except for the planar advantage)... I mean it's not Audeze level but it really isn't bad for a dynamic at all and it's super textured.... I cannot believe I didn't buy this earlier, I was convinced I was a basshead, apparently I am not, refusing to buy radiance and get rid of Elegia and now liking HD800 non s bass....

(that spike tho, any mods besides SDR to kill this dang peak???)

The sdr mod is the easiest and most reversible. I recommend it!